safe to England. These I submitted to the inspection of Dr. Latham on my arrival, who obligingly favoured me with his remarks upon them. I subsequently presented them to Lord Stanley, who has since taken great pains in setting them up. At my request, he has been kind enough also to draw up a description of some of the more rare, which, together with Dr. Latham's valuable remarks, I shall here present to the public, as both will be found far superior to any account which my limited knowledge on the subject would permit me to offer to the public.
Dear Sir,
I do myself the pleasure of returning your birds, several of which I find curious, and, so far as I know, not yet described. I have noticed this in the catalogue, referring, for the most part, to my Index Ornithologicus. You would not do amiss by getting up Nos. 5, 8, 9, 14, 15, 18, 22, 29, 34? 35? 42, 48, 50, 51, 55, 57; but the most rare are, in my opinion, 8, 18, 22, 29, 42, 48, 50, 51, 55, 57, and the last number most rare of all. Many in the list will be found in more than one museum; though in my own I have but few of them: my specimen of No. 11, was met with in England; No. 16, I had from Senegal; No. 20, from the Cape of Good Hope, and No. 31, from India. I have neither of your two Colys, but have the Coly-leuconatos from the Cape of Good Hope. I have taken drawings from eight or nine; the rest I had either figures of before, or can trace them sufficiently for my own use.
I have marked No. 55, as Ardea Pondiceriana; but if the figure in pl: enlum: 932, be looked at, the feet are in that plate cloven to the bottom; whereas in your specimens they are webbed deeply, as in the avoset, with which genus it ought to have place, were it not for the singular construction of the bill; on account of which, it can scarcely be ranked with the herons.
Yours, &c. &c.
1. Lanius, allied to Pie griesche silentieux Levail. Ois. pl. 74, f. 1. 2. Two specimens.[1]. (Shot in Abyssinia.)
2. Lanius Q. Lanius Cubl: Ind. Orn. Sup. p. xx. One specimen. (Abyssinia.)
3. Lanius ferrugineus, Ind. Orn. i. 762, or a variety. One specimen. (Chelicut in Abyssinia.)
4. Lanius allied to 3. (Chelicut.)
5. Psittacus, probably new. This is the only species of paroquet I ever saw in Abyssinia; they were seen in large flights about the tops of Taranta in March and October. One specimen.
6. Coracias Benghalensis. I. O. i. 168. Thought to be a young bird. One specimen. (Mosambique.)
7. Coracias afra. var. One specimen. (Mosambique.)
8. Bucco, new species, (Abyssinia.) Two specimens. Supposed to be male and female, as they were shot at the same time.
- ↑ The remarks in italics are added by the author.
